Coulomb effects in an optically excited electron-hole plasma of a disordered semiconductor

In this paper we extend the work of Altshuler and Aronov [1] on the effect of Coulomb interaction in disordered metals to the case of an optically generated quasi-equilibrium electron-hole plasma in a disordered semiconductor in view of its possible implications for nonlinear optics. The nonlinearity considered here arises through the optically excited plasma density. The plasma is bipolar and not necessarily degenerate as in the metallic case. The density of states and the optical spectra due to freecarrier interband transitions are numerically computed in the presence and in the absence of the Altshuler-Aronov Coulomb-disorder singularity.     

Impact-ionized electron-hole plasma instability in GaAs

The possibility of the excitation of impact-ionized electron-hole plasma oscillatory instability in GaAs with frequency up to 10¹² Hz is shown. The linear and nonlinear stages of the instability are investigated.     

Observation of many-body Coulomb interaction effects on the photoluminescence spectra of InAs/GaAs quantum dots

InAs quantum dots (QDs) on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) using two growth temperatures. Photoluminescence (PL) pump power dependence measurements at low temperature were carried out for sample grown at higher temperature (520 °C). With increasing excitation density, the ground-state transition energy is found to decrease by 8 meV, while the excited-state transition energies exhibit resonance behaviour. The redshift of the ground-state emission was related to the band-gap renomalization (BGR) effect whereas the blueshift of the excited-state emissions was assigned to the compensation between filling of fine structure states and BGR effects. Using a quasi-resonant PL measurement, we have shown that the renormalization of the band-gap had to occur in the QD barrier.     

Raman scattering from optically pumped electron-hole plasma in insulating GaAs

We measured the single particle Raman Scattering from an optically pumped electron-hole plasma in bulk insulating GaAs, using IR radiation of 1.06 μm to both excite and probe the plasma. The relevant theory is derived in terms of a Landau generalized quasi-particle picture and we show how many-body effects are discernible in the spectrum. The results of the experiment lend independent support to the model of two-photon absorption in GaAs and allowed us to place a lower bound of 1 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 for the threshold of saturation effects in the density of photo-generated electron-hole pairs in bulk GaAs.     

Effect of the coherence of free electron-hole pairs on excitonic absorption in GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices

The effect of photoexcited free carriers on the absorption spectra dynamics of GaAs/Al_xGa_1−x As superlattices is investigated experimentally by the pump-probe method. A sharp change in the shift of the excitonic resonance energy from the low-to the high-energy direction is found to occur at the moment that the electromagnetic radiation of the pump and probe beams overlap in the case of band-band excitation. This phenomenon is explained in a model of scattering of high-energy electron-hole pairs. The dephasing time of free high-energy particles is experimentally estimated to be several tens of femtoseconds. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 1, 62–67 (10 January 1998)     

Effect of free electron-hole pairs on the saturation of excitonic absorption in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

The pump-probe experimental method is used to investigate the effect of photoexcited carriers on the dynamics of the exciton absorption spectra of GaAs / Al_xGa_1–x As-multilayer quantum wells. Use of the method of moment analysis for processing the results makes it possible to identify the simultaneous contribution of changes in oscillator strength and width of the exciton lines in the saturation of exciton absorption. It was found that the oscillator strength recovers its initial value in the course of the first 100–130 ps, whereas broadening and energy-shift of the exciton lines is observed for 700–800 ps. These are the first experimental measurements of the excitation densities at which the oscillator strength of the excitonic state saturates when the latter is perturbed only by free-electron-hole pairs, and when it is perturbed only by other excitons. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1130–1133 (June 1998)     

Time-resolved spectra of spontaneous luminescence from high density electron-hole plasma in CdS

Pico-second time-resolved spectra of the spontaneous luminescence from high density electron-hole plasma in CdS are measured at 4.2 K suppressing the stimulation effect. It is found that after the pulse excitation hot carriers are cooled rapidly for the first 100 psec, and that therafter up to the 400 psec delay time the shape of spectra hardly changes but the spectral width depends on excitation density. Although it seems as if some kind of state like electron-hole liquid is formed, one cannot easily regard that state as the condensed electron-hole drop state.     

Coulomb correlations and electron-hole liquid in double quantum wells

It has been shown that many-body Coulomb correlations in double quantum wells with spatially separated electrons and holes result in the formation of a degenerate electron-hole liquid where an average distance between the particles is smaller than the size of an isolated exciton. This state turns out to be energetically more favorable than the exciton gas. The results have been obtained under the assumption that there are many different sorts of electrons and holes in the system, which is the case, in particular, in multivalley semiconductors. The relation to the experiments on the observation of luminescent regions in such systems is discussed.     

Light scattering from nonequilibrium electron-hole plasma excited by picosecond laser pulses in GaAs

A picosecond dye laser is used to excite electron-hole plasma of density between 10¹⁸ to 10¹⁹ cm^-3 in GaAs. The plasma density and distribution function within ? 20 psec of excitation is probed by Raman scattering. The lineshape of the single particle excitation spectra of the plasma can be explained only by assuming that the electron distribution function is in nonthermal equilibrium.     

Direct determination of reduced band gap and chemical potential in an electron-hole plasma in high-purity GaAs

We report the first transmission experiments with tunable i.r. Laser light through an electron-hole plasma in high purity GaAs. Negative absorption (gain) is observed at energies below the chemical potential, and positive absorption above. The experimentally determined energetic positions of the reduced band gap and chemical potential are lower than theoretically expected.     

Transient anisotropy effects in the absorption saturation of GaAs

The absorption of polarized light imparts a transient anisotropy on GaAs due to the preferential orientational excitation of electron-hole pairs. We present a series of experiments designed to measure the relaxation of the wavevector orientation of these photoexcited electron-hole pairs.     

Secondary illumination effects in the photoemission spectra of GaAs and CdS

The photoemission spectra of GaAs and CdS are dramatically affected by secondary illumination of the sample. Using synchrotron radiation and a computer lineshape analysis we demonstrate that valence band and core-level spectral features are all rigidly shiftedin energy by a few tenths of an electronvolt under secondary illumination. This provides conclusive evidence that photovoltaic band-bending changes are the only cause of these effects and rules out other possible mechanisms. It is therefore right to use these phenomena for quantitative studies of band bending effects and of ultralow densities of extrinsic or intrinsic surface states.     

Infrared absorption in a high density electron-hole plasma in germanium at low temperatures

Measurements of the absorption in the temperature range 1.8–9 K have been made for wavelengths between 3.1 and 4.2μm, in germanium highly excited by a 1.06μm laser. The shape of the absorption curve is noted to be similar to that observed by Pokrovskii and Svistunova at lower excitation levels, and somewhat broader than that calculated by Smith, Chen and McGill for exciton absorption. A cross section of 4.5 (±1.1) × 10^-17 cm² at 3.39μm is deduced from normalization with the theoretical curves of Smith et al.     

Excitons and electron-hole plasma in InSe

The spontaneous emission from either thin or thick samples of layered indirect-gap InSe semiconductor under dye laser excitation has been investigated either above or below the critical Mott density. The observed spectra consist of five bands in the near infrared region; four of them are localized in the energy range between the direct and the indirect gap and one only lies below the indirect energy gap. These bands can be associated with cooperative indirect and direct excitonic transitions and with electronhole plasma recombinations.     

Spontaneous luminescence due to high density electron-hole plasma in GaAs under nano- and pico-second pulse excitation

Spontaneous luminescence due to high density electron-hole plasma in GaAs is observed at 4.2 K under nano- and pico-second pulse excitation. From the pico-second time-resolved spectra, it is found that the hot carriers are cooled down rapidly within 150 psec, and the changes of spectra are not appreciable in the later stage. One may consider, together with results of the spectral shape analysis, that the electron-hole liquid formation is improbable at least within the time range observed.